becomes vacant. The high reputation which you have acquired as an Oriental scholar, and the value attached to your labours, have induced his Majesty to approve of you as Dr. Laurence's successor; and I can entertain no doubt that this mark of royal favour, conferred upon you without solicitation, will be a strong inducement to you to persevere in those studies by which you have acquired so much credit, and to use your utmost endeavours to promote the study of Oriental literature in the University of Oxford.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your very obedient humble Servant,

LIVERPOOL.

An idle report was for some time current, that Mr. Nicoll kept the Minister's letter for two days in his pocket, without acknowledging the receipt of it; considering it as what is called a hoax, played off upon him by some of his young acquaintance in the University. So far is this from the truth, that he shewed the letter to me in an hour or

two after its arrival; never expressing to me, nor, I am persuaded, to any one else, the slightest doubt of its authenticity. The surprise, indeed, excited by this circumstance, which soon became the general topic of conversation, seemed to imply that such a mode of bestowing preferment, without cabal and importunity on one side, or selfish and interested motives on the other, was an event of no ordinary occurrence.

Soon after obtaining this preferment, Mr. Nicoll took the degree of D.C. L. and about the same time the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark having arrived in Oxford, he had the honour of being introduced to them, and congratulated on his good fortune. At this interview he probably found the advantage of having formerly acquired some knowledge of the Danish language, which he improved considerably during his short residence in Copenhagen. In the early part of the ensuing vacation he went into Scotland on a visit to his brother, and passed a few

days in Edinburgh at the time when people were flocking to it from all parts of the country to see his Majesty. At Aberdeen he was received by all his old acquaintances, Bishop Skinner, Mr. Lumsden, Mr. Annand of Belmont, &c. together with the Professors of the King's and Marischall College, with the greatest kindness and hospitality. He -afterwards made a short tour to the continent, visiting Leipsic, Halle, Berlin, and other cities of Germany, in all of which he received very flattering attentions from literary men of the greatest eminence. After his return to Oxford he began to apply himself seriously to the duties of his Professorial office, and, having issued his programma, collected a more numerous assemblage of pupils than had been seen for many years before. These he afterwards divided into two classes, according to their several degrees of proficiency. With those who had attained a competent knowledge of the rules and principles of the Hebrew language, he

C

read some parts of the prophetical writings, particularly Isaiah; with the rest he went through an elementary course, taking Schroeder's Grammar for his text-book. To those who have any acquaintance with Hebrew literature, it is unnecessary to observe that the Institutions of Schroeder are founded in the analogy between the Hebrew and Arabic languages, on the plan of the celebrated Schultens. James Robertson, Professor of the Oriental Languages at Edinburgh about the middle of the last century, (in whose Grammar, by the way, are to be found most of the improvements often ascribed exclusively to Schroeder,) has well explained the cause of this analogy. "Utraque natio eandem linguam hauserat ab Hebero: Hebræa quidem per Phalegum ejusque posteros; Arabica vero per Joktanum, Phalegi fratrem, filiumque Heberi, in Arabia Felice; deinde per Ishmaelem Abrahamiden in Arabia Deserta, necnon per Esavi et Abrahami posteros, in aliis partibus illius

regionis, defluxit ac proinde iisdem celebrantor radicibus, cum levi quadam dialecti varietate, quam sedium distantia sensim introducere potuerit." The absurd hypothesis of Hutchinson and his followers,

that the Arabians were the scum of Egypt, whence they came up with the Israelites finto the wilderness, and had in a great measure lost the knowledge of the first revelation, and had not acquired the knowledge of the written manifestation;" and consequently that we are to reject "the idle notion of travelling to learn Eastern languages, for learning them at home, to make us understand the Hebrew;" has been for some time (with hardly any exceptions I believe) uni-versally exploded. Until that was the case, it was impossible to attain a clear idea of the principles of the Hebrew tongue, even with the assistance of the Rabbins. though, as Schroeder observes, "Judæorum Doctores, per plura abhinc sæcula eam non neglexerunt, valde tamen imperfectam, et

For